Who's Interviewing for Bears Coach?

Listing the current Bears candidates for head coach, with the betting favorites.

Gene Chamberlain | Jan 25, 2022

USA Today

In this story:

The Bear have a general manager in 36-year-old Ryan Poles of the Kansas City Chiefs.

They continue to work toward hiring a head coach.

The committee to find someone to replace coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace includes McCaskey, team CEO Ted Phillips, former Colts personnel boss Bill Polian, Bears diversity vice-president Tanesha Wade and director of player engagement LaMar "Soup" Campbell.

Here are the candidates interviewed at this point, with those who have received a second interview or are slated to have them.

Head Coach

*Already interviewed

Former Lions and Colts coach Jim Caldwell (per ESPN)*

Former Dolphins HC Brian Flores (NFL Network)*

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles (per ESPN)*

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich (ESPN)*

Former Atlanta Falcons coach/current Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (NFL Network)*

Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus (NFL Network)*

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll (ESPN)*

Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (NFL Network)*

Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier (ESPN)*

Former Philadelphia Eagles HC Doug Pederson (NFL Network)*

Reported Finalists

Eberflus
Caldwell
Quinn

Betting Favorites for Coach

Latest odds from Pointsbet on Bears coaching favorites as of Jan 21:

Brian Daboll +340

Leslie Frazier +350

Brian Flores +400

Matt Eberflus +400

Jim Caldwell +400

Jim Harbaugh +750

Doug Pederson +800

Josh McDaniels +1000

Eric Bieniemy +1200

Byron Leftwich +2200

Kellen Moore +1500

Nathaniel Hackett +1500

Ryan Day +1800

Matt Campbell +1800

Todd Bowles +2000

Jerod Mayo +2000

Greg Roman +2500

Dave Toub +2500

Dan Quinn +4000

The Coaching Candidates to Date

Doug Pederson, former Eagles head coach

Won Super Bowl LII after the 2017 season with Philadelphia with backup Nick Foles beating New England. Also beat the Bears in 2018 in the playoffs at Soldier Field 16-15. Had a 58-49 record in 5 Eagles seasons. A former backup QB in Green Bay, he also was Kansas City's offensive coordinator 2013-15 when they finished 21st, 25th and 27th in yardage but sixth, 16th and ninth in scoring.

Dennis Allen, Saints defensive coordinator

Saints defensive coordinator since 2015, head coach for Oakland 2012-14 and defensive coordinator in Denver in 2011. His Saints defenses have been seventh in 2021 and fourth in 2020 for yards allowed and fourth and fifth in points allowed. Allen's Raiders teams were 8-28 and he was fired four games into the third season.

Leslie Frazier, Bills defensive coordinator

A former Bears cornerback, Colts defensive backs coach against the Bears in Super Bowl XLI and current Buffalo defensive coordinator. He was Vikings head coach 2010-2013, finishing 2010 as an interim coach, and had a 21-32-1 record, his only winning season being 10-6 in 2021. With Buffalo under Sean McDermott his defenses have been ranked 26th, second, third, 14th and first since 2017. He was defensive coordinator for Lovie Smith in Tampa in 2014-15 and they ranked 25th and 10th.

Todd Bowles, Buccaneers defensive coordinator

Jets head coach 2015-2018 with a 24-40 record including 10-6 but no playoff berth in 2015, interim head coach in Miami in 2011, 2-1 record. As Buccaneers defensive coordinator his defenses were 15th, sixth and 13th the last three years and in Arizona were sixth and 24th in 2013 and 2014.

Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers offensive coordinator

An NFL assistant coach since 2016, he has been a coordinator since 2018 in Arizona under Steve Wilks, then the last three years under Bruce Arians in Tampa Bay. The offenses he worked with in Tampa have been second in yards in 2021, third in 2020 and third in 2019, the last two years with Tom Brady as QB. They have never been higher than 24th in rushing. The 2019 Tampa Bay offense was first in passing with Jameis Winston at QB, and first in 2021 in passing with Brady, second with Brady in 2020.

Brian Daboll, Bills offensive coordinator

An offensive coordinator since 2009, his Bills offenses have been fifth in yards this year and second in 2020 after ranking 24th in 2019 and 30th in 2018. Instrumental in developing QB Josh Allen. They have been ninth and third in passing yards the last two years and first in scoring this year. They were top 10 in scoring each of the last three years. None of his offenses in Kansas City (2012), Miami (2011) or Cleveland (2009-10) ranked higher than 22nd or higher than 20th in scoring. Was a Patriots defensive assistant and wide receivers coach 2000-2006 and Jets QB coach 2007 and 2008. Alabama's offensive coordinator in 2017 national title season.

Jim Caldwell, former head coach Detroit and Indianapolis

Coached Colts to Super Bowl XLIV where they lost on a pick-6 of Peyton Manning. His only playoff wins as a head coach came that year. Now 67 years old, he had a 62-50 record in seven seasons as head coach for Detroit and Indianapolis and was 2-4 in the postseason. He was 36-28 in Detroit and 26-22 with the Colts, including 14-2 the run to Super Bowl XLIV in his first year. A former Wake Forest head coach, he came into the NFL in 2001 with Tampa Bay as QB coach, then was Colts QB coach from 2002-2008 before becoming head coach. His Baltimore offenses as coordinator in 2012 and 2013 were ranked 25th and 10th.

Dan Quinn, Dallas defensive coordinator

Former Atlanta head coach and current Dallas defensive coordinator, he also was defensive coordinator for Seattle. His Dallas defense in 2021 led in takeaways, was 19th in yards allowed and seventh in scoring allowed. He had a 43-42 record as Falcons head coach, with losing records the last three years, 10-6 in 2017 and 11-5 in 2016 when they led New England 28-9 in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI and lost 34-28 in overtime. His 2013 Seahawks defense was the Legion of Boom that won the Super Bowl and ranked first overall. Started out in the NFL in 2001 as a 49ers assistant and his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator was Seattle's Super Bowl winning season.

Brian Flores, former Dolphins head coach

A former Patriots linebackers and safeties coach, he was Miami's head coach from 2019-21 with records of 5-11, 10-6 and 9-8. The Dolphins had two seven-game losing streaks in those seasons and he never made the playoffs He was fired after reports of dissension between himself and personnel, and after going through four offensive coordinators in three years. His Dolphins defense ranked 27th this season, 16th in 2020 and 14th in 2019. His offenses were 25th, 22nd and 27th. A former scout for four years with the Patriots, He never served as a defensive coordinator.

Nathaniel Hackett, Packers offensive coordinator

An NFL offensive coordinator since 2013 and with the Packers since Matt LaFleur became head coach in 2019. His Packers offense finished fifth in yards in 2020 and led in scoring that season. They were 10th in scoring and yards this season and have led the NFL in fewest intercepted passes the last three years. He had success as Jacksonville coordinator in 2017 when they made the AFC championship game, as they led the NFL in rushing and finished sixth in yardage. He was OC for three seasons with Blake Bortles as QB in Jacksonville, and for two seasons prior in Buffalo. His first Bills offense in 2013 was second in the NFL in rushing.

Matt Eberflus, Colts defensive coordinator

The first coaching candidate granted a second interview, he is 51 years old, a graduate of Toledo and a defensive coordinator for four seasons in Indianapolis under coach Frank Reich. The Colts have ranked 11th (2018), 16th, eighth and 16th in those years. They were top 10 in scoring defense three of the four years and top 10 in takeaways and interceptions all four years, including second in 2021. Before Indianapolis, Eberflus was linebackers coach in Dallas from 2011-2017 and in Cleveland in 2009 and 2010. He was a defensive coordinator eight years at Missouri in college football.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

Published Jan 25, 2022

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.